Public Spaces
Improving public spaces doesn’t require heavy capital investment, planning, and permitting, it can be done with shovels, seedlings, and community action. A large part of our work is to provide our partner organizations with resources they need to carry out projects conceived and designed by their own communities. When it comes to improving public spaces in Puerto Parada you only have to look at the soccer field (football pitch).
There are more than 30 communities surrounding Puerto Parada—running from fields of sugarcane and cattle pastures to mangroves and tidal marshes—and most have their own soccer fields. Soccer fields not only serve as a place of sport, but as the primary public spaces where communities gather for games, have public meetings, or to simply socialize.
In 2023, the Jiquilisco Bay Alliance provided funding to Asociación Cincahuite to plant trees and landscape soccer fields in their communities. In this hot and sunny part of El Salvador, having areas of shade is essential for people to be able to congregate and spend time together. The joy and excitement from the communities, who planned, designed and executed this project, was a privilege to share in. We look forward to being able to continue to fund similar projects going forward.
